The Gym Leaders Training Academy
by DarkType
Summary: Before the age of gym leaders like Candice, Falkner, Brawly and Roark, they were just powerful trainers. 10 trainers have been chosen to partake in training to become the nations top leaders. SenirasuShupping (Volkner x Candace), MossShipping (Roark x Gardenia), and a few more.
1. Chapter 1

****((A/N: I do not own pokemon, or any of it's franchises, I'm just a fan! Enjoy!))****

**Prologue **

"Ten of the top young trainers in the world will walk through these doors in a week from today in hope of being the next pokemon gym leaders of Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh." Lance told the reporters as cameras flashed in his face.

"The curriculum we have put together over the last month is going to educate and prepare the future leaders for their foreboding careers. In the process, we will assign gym leaders to cities in an attempt to fill the abandoned gyms across the regions. Are there any questions?"

'Lance! Lance!" "Over here!"

"Yes?"

"How have you selected these new candidates for your program?"

"We have chosen trainers based on skill, gym badges, compassion for pokemon, and recommendations from the pokemon professors. I believe that we have chosen fairly and well, to make the pokemon gym challenge program more successful than ever." Lance saw a wave from the sidelines indicating that his press conference would be coming to close.

"Thank you, no more questions." He gave a wave to the small crowd and walked behind a curtain. He followed Cynthia back into the green room where Steven, Wallace, and Blue sat around a coffee table watching the Television which was now showing highlights from the press conference.

"Not too bad Dragon Boy," smiled Wallace as he wrapped a teal strand of hair around his finger, "Personally I would have added a bit more finesse, more excitement, but you did alright."

"Thank you?" Lance took a seat next to Blue and rolled his eyes. "I think I conveyed the positive impact of the program, but made it boring enough so that we won't be swarmed with cameras next Sunday."

"We'll see. I wonder how these trainers will hold up under the stress that's bound to come." Cynthia told him.

**Chapter One**

I braided my hair and placed two blue clips above my ears. Gardenia was still asleep, peacefully lying underneath a duvet. I went to the bathroom to check my reflection when I heard her alarm in the other room. Not five minutes later, she was dressed and all ready to go, lacing up her green boots and swinging her bag over her shoulder.

We checked out of the hotel in Sootopolis City and climbed onto Gardenia's Tropius for the last leg of our journey to the pokemon gym leaders training academy on Ever Grande Island in the Hoenn region.

"Hey Candice, do you think we will know anyone else there?" She asked me.

"Well you know Roark. Byrons kid."

"Oh yeah I forgot about him." She said, blushing. I wiggled my eyebrows, doubting she had forgotten. We all had gone to school together, and they both had fancied each other, but would never admit to it. I was almost certain he was all she had been thinking about for the last week.

When we arrived, Gardenia and I stepped off of tropius and were met with a towering building that was more like a large training center than a castle. The double doors automatically slid open, and inside looked just like the Sinnoh Pokemon League building. There were two desks, with a pokemart cashier at one and Nurse Joy helping out a trainer at the other.

"Hello! You two must be here for orientation! Good to see you again!" came a brisk voice.

"Professor Rowan! What are you doing here?" Gardenia asked.

"Right now I'm playing the role of the receptionist until everyone arrives. But I have been invited by Professor Oak to conduct research here during the program. Lance and the other champions are waiting in the grand hall on floor two. I'm sure they would love it if you joined them. It's not hard to find, I'm sure you will be fine."

We thanked the proffesor and got into the elevator.

"Are you nervous?" Gardenia asked me.

"Yeah. But super excited too. I can't wait! What about you?"  
>"I just don't want people to underestimate me because I use grass type pokemon." The elevator opened and we soon found our way to the grand hall.<p>

An oval table surrounded by wooden chairs sat in the center of the room. All but two chairs were filled. We took the seats at the table and the Hoenn champion Wallace gave a small wave.

"Everyone, these are the last two Sinnoh trainers, Gardenia and Candace." Then trainers began introducing themselves in turn. Beside Gardenia sat Roark, and then Falkner, Morty, and Whitney from Johto. I was surprised to see how young Whitney was to be training as a gym leader. Her appearance suggested she was only thirteen or fourteen years old. Then the Hoenn trainers introduced themselves. Roxanne, Brawly, and Flannery were all about the same age as Gardenia and I. The boy sitting next to me looked blank and was expressionless. He introduced himself as Volkner, from Sinnoh like myself, but a couple years older. I smiled at him and he turned back to the folder full of papers in front of him. I pulled a similar one out of my bag.

"We were just going over the schedule for the next week on page four." Roark told us. We thanked him quietly and looked over our papers. Wallace proceeded to explain our schedule for the next week, including the seminars and classes we would attend, as well as a few trips and group activities. Although the schedule had many assorted events, there was still plenty of free time.

Cynthia explained the rules, which weren't

anything you wouldn't expect, be on time, behave, the usual. Then Steven wrapped up the conversation with telling us what we were here to achieve.

"And that's everything! In the next room Nurse Joy has your room assignments, keys, and bags if you left them with her earlier. We'll see you at dinner!" The champions got up and left the room.

Gardenia and had been assigned to a room on the third floor. Roark had offered to carry our things for us, but we politely declined, as he would be on the fourth floor.

Our room was painted white, with hardwood floors. Two queen beds with light blue duvets and white pillows were placed side by side. Although we were in a champions castle, the decorations and cubic end tables were very modern.

"The closets! Look Candice!" The two side by side closets were stocked with shelves and hangers. Light poured into the room from the wide set windows. The sun began to set and before we knew it, it was time to meet in the dining hall for dinner.

We sat down at a table with Roark and the blonde boy, Volkner, who turned out to be sharing a room with him. Gardenia and Roark were unknowingly flirting with each other. I smiled at Volkner.

"So Volkner, what type of pokemon do you specialize in?" he looked to me, surprised that I spoke.

"Electric type mostly." he said.

"That's cool. Ice type pokemon are my favorite. Their beauty and grace in addition to strength has always appealed to me. Ice types just mean so much to me. Oh, sorry, I'm rambling again." I could feel my cheeks heating up.

"No it's okay. It's nice that you have such a strong bond with ice type pokemon." He looked happy for a moment. I realized that he wasn't so emotionless or empty, just a little bit shy. We continued to talk and eventually he told me about growing up with his best friend Flint, who had been a Sinnoh gym leader, but was now moving up to the elite four. I told him about Snowpoint City, my hometown, and training at the lake.

"Don't you ever get cold?" he asked me.

"Not really… I never really notice the cold. It's just a part of being outside." He smiled again. He had nice smile. It made him even cuter than before.

"You're funny Candice." he said. I giggled.

"Well I'm glad someone enjoys my rambling." **((Hope you liked it. Chapter Two coming soon with a lot more MossShipping and maybe more SenirasuShipping too.))**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Roark's POV**

"You know, I missed you a lot more than I had realised. I'm excited to spend more time together." Gardenia's face was bright red, and she looked down.

"M-me too" I replied nervously. "Now that we'll be seeing a lot more of each other, do you want to train together sometime?"

"Uh sure, I'd love that!"

"Hey Candice, be careful not to melt. Things are really heating up in here, huh?" Volkner grinned and she giggled.

"Oh, be quiet!" I said and Gardenia nervously laughed. "On that note, can I take everyone's plate? It looks like dinner almost done."

Back at our room I finished unpacking and posted the schedule on the wall.

"So, I guess it went well with Gardenia." Volkner said, opening a book.

"Uh yeah, I don't know, I mean I guess?" We heard a knock and I got up to answer it.

"Oh hi! Is Volkner there?" Volkner looked up from his book and waved.

"Right here! Hey Morty." They started chatting and Morty told us about an indoor swimming pool, hot springs, and the Nurse Joy who was 'even more attractive than any other in the region'.

"Anyway, Falkner and I didn't get to say hi at dinner so I just wanted to drop by and give you these thunderstones we found on our way here."

"Thanks. Oh, and this is my friend Roark. We're both from Sinnoh."

"Hey man, nice to meet you." We shook hands and Morty said goodbye. Later that night I could hear the Mightyena howling. Volkner's Luxio stirred at the foot of his bed. A shrill beeping came from his side of the room and Luxio stood up abruptly. Volkner sat up and the beeping stopped.

"Sorry about that," he scratched his head and yawned, "I guess I forgot my phone had an automatic alarm for work back home."

"Oh?" I asked, "Where did you work?"

"My father is a mechanic. I usually help him on jobs. But he's retiring soon which is perfect timing because once I start running a gym I wont be working for him anymore."

"Oh that's cool. My father is a gym leader in Canalave."

"You don't say, So your father is Byron?"

"The one and only." The alarm clock next to my bed read 7:30. The curtains drawn made it seem like night, but I really wasn't that tired. My xtransceiver rung and picking it up, a saw a familiar face.

"Speak off the devil."

"So you've been bragging about me to your friends, huh?"

"Not really Father." I shrugged.

"I wanted to let you know that I will be visiting on Friday. Steven has asked my presence in a defense seminar."

"Well in that case i'm looking forward to seeing you."

"And Roark? How are you doing at the Academy?"

"Well it is only the first real day. I'm doing fine though. Everyone here seems admirably strong and I'm excited to be able to battle with them."

"Good. Well I will let you get ready for the day then. Goodbye Roark."  
>"Bye dad."<p>

"I'm going to get breakfast. Meet you down there." said Volkner, standing by the door.

"Alright see you there."

My hardhat seemed a bit silly to wear since it wouldn't be necessary for today's programs, so after washing my face, I put it away in one of the empty closets. I slid my black boots onto my feet and went down to the dining hall.

Volkner waved me over to sit with him and the two boys from Johto. I noticed that Gardenia and Candice sat across the room laughing with a boy with spiky blue hair and two other girls. I took a seat next to Volkner and Morty reintroduced himself and Falkner, the boy next to him with cobalt blue hair.

Morty yawned and spreaded cream cheese on a bagel while I began to eat a rice ball.

"What do we have going on today?" I pulled out my red welcome folder and passed Morty a copy of a schedule.

"Let's see… at 8:30 we have 'Basics of being a gym leader' with Koga, who i think is a gym leader in Kanto."

"Actually, he recently became a part of the elite four. His daughter now runs his old gym." I told them and shrugged, "Our parents are friends."

"And 12 is lunch, followed by free time and 'Choosing your type and pokemon for your gym' from 3-5 and then dinner." Morty said.

"Will you guys excuse me, I want to talk to Gardenia before the seminar." I caught up to her as she and Candice were walking to the doors.

"Hey guys!" I said and they turned around to greet me. "Gardenia, I'm free if you want to train after lunch."

"Oh definitely!" She smiled at me and her green eyes sparkled like diamonds from the mines.

"Oh yeah, Candice, you can come with us if you want."

"Thanks, but I'm going to nap. It's tiring to get up this early!"

"Sounds good. How about we all meet here for lunch and then Gardenia and I can go into town to train afterwards."

"Perfect! We're about to go to Koga's seminar, want to join us?" Gardenia asked.

"I'd love to."

**((A/N: Kind of a boring chapter, I am still trying to introduce the characters and stuff. Next chapter has so much MossShipping I am really excited. And thanks for reading this.))**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Gardenia's POV**

"Each gym has a unique badge that can only be obtained by defeating the leader of that particular gym. I believe Steven will be working with each of you to design and craft the badges for your gym, unless of course you want to reuse the previous gym leader's badge."

I read over the handout and doodled little flowers around the border. I couldn't concentrate on Koga at all. I was too excited to train with Roark after lunch. Sure, it was going to make me stronger, but I was just happy to spend time with him.

"Depending on what gym number you are, you will be allowed a certain amount of pokemon in your party for gym battles, and only pokemon who match your gym type. You can't have a fire gym and battle using a grass and poison type pokemon against challengers, but if you had a pokemon that was dark and fire that would suffice."

I glanced over at Roark, and he was scribbling down notes in a disorganized red notebook with different papers shoved in between the pages. His messy handwriting reflected in the lense of his glasses as he continued to write.

Candice sat next to him tugging on her braids as she jotted down occasional notes on the paper Koga had given us. I looked down to my own paper which only had a few words down and sighed. I tuned in again as Koga gave us his closing to the lecture, and asked if there were any questions.

"You didn't really cover it, but I heard that in some regions there are battle frontiers. In some areas gym leaders can train with each other, and sometimes tournaments are held. What would happen to your gym if you left your town to participate in the battle frontier and tournaments?"

"Candice, right? You will temporarily close your gym for the time that you will be away. Challengers may contact you through PC and Xtransceiver to see when you will return. Challengers usually understand and come back when you return, because everyone needs a break sometimes."

"Thank you!" Candice said.

"Anyone else?" He looked around the room to see if there was any more questions. "No? Okay! I wish you much luck on your path to becoming a gym leader! I hope to see you all again soon."

…

The clock on my poketch read 2:15 when we entered the coffee shop in Ever Grande City. Roark and I sat down at a table by the window.

"I'm glad we took a break, Onyx was getting tired out." Roark said, reading the sign of what to order.

"Yeah I think all the pokemon were. But I've missed battling from the past few days of being inside all the time." I told him. Roark and I ordered and got our coffee.

"I'm happy we did this." I blushed and returned the smile Roark had given me.

"Happy we got coffee or battled earlier?" I asked with a playful grin.

"Happy that we're together." He said before reaching across the table and placing his hand on mine. My heart raced as though I was in a battle, but it was different than that. My cheeks burned and I wanted to say something but it felt like if I opened my mouth I would let out a squeal of excitement.

"Me too." I managed to say and his face lit up. A sharp beeping sound filled the air and other customers turned to look at us.

"My bad!" he said and pushed a button on his Poketch. "I set an alarm so we would be back for the next class." He scratched his head sheepishly. "Should we go back then?" I nodded my head in agreement and we both got up to leave the shop.

On the way back, we talked about the next seminar. Roark confided that he was a little unsure of what to choose for the type of his pokemon gym.

"I know my father wants me to follow in his footprints and choose steel, but I have come to love rock type pokemon more than anything."

"Yeah I know what you mean. Ever since I was little I have been fascinated by grass type pokemon. I don't know if I would be able to follow the path of someone else if it wasn't true to who I was. It's not really my business but I think you should decide on what you truly love, because you won't reach your full potential if you choose something to please someone else."

"You're right." Roark sighed. "I just don't know how I could tell him."  
>"He might be more accepting than you think."<p>

"Yeah, thanks Gardenia."

…

"I know some of you have already decided what type you want, but make sure you really think about your decision, you have until Thursday at dinner to submit your forms to the box on the reception desk." I put my form into my folder as the meeting came to a close. My right arm was yanked by Candice's soft yet surprisingly strong hand. I grabbed the strap of my bag as Candice pulled me around the corner.

"Tell me everything!" she squealed. "Oh come on, you can tell me. Pleeeeaasse?"

"We just hung out. It wasn't really a big deal or anything." She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Ohhhkayy." Candice said, holding up her fingers and making air quotes. "I'm sure it was no big deal."

"Can I throw a table at you?"

"No, you _may_ not."

At dinner, a gym leader from Kanto was helping out in the kitchen, and the entire dining hall smelled like a five star restaurant. When we went up to get food, he was standing by the buffet line serving foods.

He had spiky brown hair and was a little tan. I recognized him from a special Jubilife TV did on Pewter gym. He was Brock the rock type master from Kanto. I smiled, thinking about how one day Roark would be a rock master too.

I got a bowl of stew and another smaller bowl of steamed rice and placed it at our table next to Candice's plate. Roark sat with us as well, and as the meal continued, Whitney and Volkner also joined us. Everyone was excitedly chattering about what pokemon types they were considering.

"I was thinking a lot about using psychic types, but since, I have realized how truly powerful normal type pokemon can be." Whitney said.

"I think that I've always felt more connected to ice types than any other pokemon since I was younger, even when I battled mostly with various types." Candice told us.

"Yeah I know what you mean." I said. We continued to talk, and it sounded like everyone had decided already. Even Roark seemed more confident in his decision, and although Volkner was quiet, he mentioned that he had chosen electric types.

That evening, I took my form and submitted it to the box at the reception. Nurse Joy looked up from her work and smiled at me.

"So what did you decide to go with?" She asked.

"Grass Types. I don't really think I ever doubted that I would go with grass."  
>"Good. Good luck Gardenia!" She waved at me as I got in the elevator to go to floor 3. The sound of Candice's humming rendition of a pop song coming from the bathroom told me that she was probably in the shower. I opened my book and lay down across my light blue duvet cover, and at some point, my eyes started to close.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Candice's POV**

**A few days after Gardenia and Roarks "not a date", the champions got a call from Professor Elm who had left the previous day because of an unrest of pokemon in the Ilex Forest. By the time he sent a call on Friday morning, the pokemon were hiding and fleeing from the forest.**

**After explaining what was going on, Blue gave us our adjusted schedule. Byron was still holding a defense seminar, but Steven was going with Lance to investigate the ordeal in Johto, so the badge crafting was postponed.**

**"****At least we'll have lots of free time this afternoon." Whitney said.**

**"****Yeah. I wish the defense class was postponed too. I am so awful with that. I hate it!" I tugged on my braids. **

**"****It won't be that bad. Roark's old man is teaching it. I've heard he's a hardass to beat, so it should make us even stronger." Volkner said.**

**"****He is a hardass. Not just to beat but in general." Roark confirmed. Gardenia turned to him and lowered her voice, "Have you told him yet?" Roark nodded.**

**"****I did last night. He wasn't really surprised."**

**"****Was he mad?"**

**"****No, he just laughed and asked me why I hadn't told him earlier. I think he's known since the beginning."**

**"****Told him what exactly?" Volkner said, "If you feel like sharing."**

**"****I chose rock type for my gym."**

**"****I agree with your dad, i'm not really that surprised. You have a tiny onix keychain on your bag." I told him. Roarks face turned groudon red.**

**"****I thought nobody noticed that!"**

**"****Whatever helps you sleep at night, Roark. Well, besides your geodude plushy," Volkner teased.**

**"****I don't have any geodude merch. Caught you in your own lie." Roark proudly stated. We all laughed, and an inhuman snort escaped from Whitney. **

**"****I'm going to head to class. Walk with me?" Volkner asked me after standing up.**

**"****Oh okay!" I slid my bag over my shoulder and began walking to the doors with him.**

**"****What made you want to become a gym leader?" He said.**

**"****That's a bit of a random question! Well, I guess I saw the old gym leader teach at the trainers school, and it sort of became my goal to be just as strong as he was. I've always learned strength from battling others, seeing their strategies and the relationship they have with their pokemon.**

**"****So instead of just being a normal trainer or I wanted to meet all kinds of trainers and make the same impact on them that the former gym leader did on me. I want to inspire trainers to thrive for greatness. How about you?" He held the door open as we left the dining hall. **

**"****I grew up with my best friend Flint in Sunnyshore, and we were like brothers. When he turned 18, he became Sunnyshore's gym leader. I look up to him, and trained as hard as ever so i could defeat him. A year ago, I was finally able to beat Flint, and earn his gym badge, the blaze badge. **

**"****Almost 2 months ago, Flint got a letter from Cynthia, the champion, inviting him to become a member of the elite four. Of course, he agreed, and left Sunnyshore about 3 weeks later. Now I feel like it's my job to take over Sunnyshore gym. That's what made me want to come here."**

** "****That's funny. I've met Flint a couple of times, and I wouldn't have thought you were friends but I guess it makes sense. If you've competed with him your whole life, you must be really strong." He shrugged. **

**"So, Sunnyshore, huh?" I said trying to fill the awkward silence lingering between us, "It must be fun to live on the beach!"**

**"I don't spend a lot of time on the beach. I work on fixing up my house, or playing with mechanical stuff."**

**"Do you live with your girlfriend?" He smirked at my question. **

**"Subtle."**

**"Not like that!" I could feel my cheeks burning. **

**"No. I live alone. I don't have a girlfriend." His smug look remained when we got into the elevator.**

**"****I was really just trying to be polite while finding out if you still lived with your parents."**

**"****Sure Candice." Sarcasm dripped from his voice. I rolled my eyes and willed my face to stop blushing.**

**"****What don't you like about defense?" He asked as we got out of the elevator.**

**"****I prefer to be the first to attack and get one hit KOs with sneasel. I've been trying to raise Glalie's defense stats but it's becoming a challenge.**

**"****Then you should be excited! Roark's old man is one of the best gym leaders in Sinnoh, I bet you could learn a lot." I shrugged**

**"****I know, but what if i'm the worst?"**

**"****Then you'll probably die on the spot and be thrown into the fiery pits of Hell. Flint would love it." he grinned.**

**"****I guess it can't be worse than that. I'm a little excited, but that might just be from the soda I had at breakfast." Volkner laughed.**

**"****Judging by your hyperactivity I would say you probably had too much sugar."**

**"****Nonsense! There is no limit that should ever be applied to sugar!" We went into the great hall and took our usual seats.**

**"****You have a lot to learn Candice." I giggled at his remark and took out my notebook while Gardenia, Roark, and some of the Johto gang joined us.**

**The next to arrive was the man of steel himself, Byron. He was taller than Roark, but not quite as tall as Morty. He wore pants from the coal mines and large brown boots, along with a dark cape over his shoulder. Byron looked almost the same in person as on the television.**

**His heavy footsteps echoed in the hall following the light treading of Wallace as they made their way to the front of the room to address the class.**

**"****Welcome to your introduction to strategy and defense. Today, we're going to cover a lot in a short amount of time, so if you miss something, be sure to let me know after class to go over it again. I'd like to start with the incredible vitamin known as Iron!"**

**((I don't own pokemon or the characters affiliated with it. Hope you enjoyed!))**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Volkner's POV**

"Look at the size of that Wailord!" Gardenia jumped up.

"Hardly. It's actually small for a wailord. The average size is around 47 feet."

"How do you know all that?" She asked, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Well," Roark began, "My weakness is water. It would be best to know a lot about it so I can plan around it."

"I guess that makes sense." Candice sat down to join them. "I'm glad we got to go Wailord watching today. It totally beats class!"

"I agree with that." Flannery, the fiery redhead from Hoenn said with a grin.

"Look over there! One is breaching the surface! It looks close to 50 feet!" Roxanne called out from the other side of the large ship. I followed the others to the bow of the ship, just in time to see a colossal wailord spraying water off of it's back. The wind blew a wall of droplets back on us.

Gardenia jumped behind Candice with Roark leaving her and a few of the other trainers soaking wet. Her light blue sun dress clung to her small frame.

"I'm gonna kill you guys!" she laughed at them and proceeded to uncap her water bottle and emptied the contents on Gardenia and Roark.

"WATER WAR!" yelled Whitney, and someone's pelipper used water gun on the small crowd that had gathered near the bow of the boat. Some trainers ran for cover while others, like myself, were caught in the crossfire of all the random water attacks people were yelling out. Candice on the other hand was trying not to fall over laughing on the now slippery deck.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Wallace walked out to find a soaked group of pokemon trainers laughing at each other and trying to hide under benches. It was such an odd sight that Wallace cracked a smile and turned around. "I don't even want to know. I'm not too keen on wet tshirt contests" He then went back to "The Captains Chambers" as Wallace liked to refer to the indoor part of the ship with the steering wheel.

Falkner retained control of his pelipper and sent it back to the pokeball, and I felt a cold hand tugging on my arm, pulling me out of the watery chaos. I looked to see who it was and a purple towel hit me in the face.

"Roark opened up the towel bag." Candice was wrapped in a ridiculously oversized grey and white striped towel.

"Thanks." I unrolled the towel, which should have really be called a hand towel, and held it out to her. "How come you got the big towel? I'm like 5 inches taller than you!" She laughed.

"Grab another one then! First come first served, and grey suits me nicely." The boat started up at around six, when Cynthia started grilling fish and hamburgers. We watched the sun set while we ate, and pulled into the pier on Ever Grande Island.

Wallace had us help him dock the boat on the end of our mini field trip. Morty, Roark and I walked back together behind the rest of the group.

"So Candice, huh? How did you manage that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She totally wants you." Morty grinned. "Come on, don't tell me you hadn't noticed! It was so obvious!"

"He has a point." Roark said, "and she wasn't the only one flirting." He nudged me in the ribs.

"Please. I'm here to become a gym leader, not to get a girlfriend. I don't know. This is uncomfortable let's change the subject."

"And on that note, Roark, I saw you and Gardenia walking around the gardens yesterday. Care to share?"

"So I wonder when Steven and Lance are coming back." Roark said, hastily redirecting the conversation.

"Well it's Friday, so they will probably be back for classes on monday. We should go and see a contest this weekend." I told him.

"Fantina is probably performing. She's a sinnoh ghost type leader."

"Really? I had no idea who she is, despite her being a huge contest star all over our region."

"Volkner never misses a beat with the sarcasm." Roark's phone rang and he stopped outside to pick it up, so I went into the elevator with Morty.

"I think i'll visit the hot springs later, are you coming?"

"No I'm gonna study with Falkner."

"Where is he anyway?"

"Getting some snacks!"

"Sounds good. See you later man." He nodded and we parted ways as he went down the hallway to his room while I stayed in the elevator.

I waited until I thought the hot springs were completely empty, just after nine pm, to clear my head.

The main pool of water was larger than I had expected, it wrapped around a bend behind a few trees. I sat down in the water and heard a few splashes coming from around the corner. Candice's head peaked around the corner and quickly sunk back into the water.

"Volkner what are you doing? This is the women's spring!"

"No it's not! There's a sign on the door. It's definitely men's."

"That's impossible. I went into the door with the pink women's sign next to the blue one! Wait a minute…" She went around the corner and I heard the door shut. Behind me, the door I entered through opened. Candice stood in a white robe with her arms crossed. "This door says men and the other one says women, but they both connect to the same spring."

She sat down on the stone surrounding the hot spring and let her feet touch the water. Thank Arceus the water was steamy and opaque.

"So, why are you down here so late?" she asked me.

"I came down when I thought it would be empty."

"Oh! Well I can go if you want, i've been down here for long enough anyways and I would hate to bother you. I don't mind, real-"

"Candice! It's fine, i've just been thinking and you don't bother me." I interrupted her. She grinned and sat back down.

"Do you mean you like spending time with me?" she teased. I rolled my eyes but felt heat on my cheeks.

"You're unbelievable."

"But cute."

"But cute."

"So what's been troubling you. Tell interview expert Candice all your problems."

"You sound like those reporters on tv. Interviewer Gabby and Ty!"

"That's the point." She giggled.

"Well interview expert Candice, lately i've been questioning whether or not I should be here."

"Oh?"  
>"Sometimes I wonder if I'm only here because Flint told me I should come."<p>

"Well you're entitled to your own opinion."

"You disagree?"

"Of course. You write down a hundred things each class, and you're always talking about Sunnyshore, or electric type pokemon. Well you don't really talk much, but if you talked as much as me I think I would know everything there is to know about those subjects. So clearly, you care about the city, and your pokemon, and you're doing a lot to be a good gym leader. At least that's what I see." I thought for a moment about how she could get all of that from just watching and talking to me. But she was right, what she said was true.

"You have a point."

"Obviously. Why would I say something if it was pointless? Okay wait I take that back, that's not true at all."  
>"Yeah… well, thanks Candice. Although we're almost naked, this has been a highly productive conversation."<p>

"They call me… the hot spring therapist!"

"Excellent work doctor." The mens door opened, and Morty and Falkner appeared carrying a lapras inner tube and goggles, dressed in varying sharpedo and magikarp swim trunks.

"Wait I thought this was the mens hot spring!" Morty tossed the inner tube in the water.

"It's the same spring, just with different doors."

"I should get back, I don't want Gardenia to worry! Fun hanging out, see you guys later!" She went back out the mens door and the door fell back behind her. Falkner jumped into the inner tube and a wave of hot water washed over me.

"You two know this is a hot spring, not a swimming pool, right?

"Same thing!"

"Quite different. Swimming pools aren't kept separate."

"That's what I said! But Morty said that it was just a warm, conservative swimming pool."

"I guess that's why you brought floats?"

"Precisely." Morty said, pushing his blonde hair back with his purple goggles.

"Who says you can't bring floats to a hot spring?"


End file.
